


Coffee Shop // Here for You

by bryar6



Series: Zouxie Week 2020 [1]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Slice of Life, Zouxie Week 2020, zouxie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27320629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bryar6/pseuds/bryar6
Summary: Zouxie week day 1: Coffee ShopA bit of slice of life and analysis of Douxie and Zoe's lives pre-canon. Takes place sometime in the early 2010's.
Relationships: Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan/Zoe
Series: Zouxie Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994584
Comments: 14
Kudos: 22





	Coffee Shop // Here for You

**Author's Note:**

> I went really pretty simple on this one in favor of going off the deep end on some of the others, lol. This was mostly a way of exploring the characters a little more and throwing my headcanons in there at the same time.

It’s 5am on a Monday, and it’s way too early for Zoe to be awake. Sure, she bets the sunrise in an hour will be beautiful, but the bleary, dark sky sure as hell isn’t right now. She’s just woken from a nightmare, nothing unusual, not after so many years. She sits upright in bed and picks up her phone, entering the passcode and opening the messaging app. 

Her thumb hovers over her texts with Douxie for a long moment. He’s probably still asleep, and he’s definitely not a morning person either. Neither of them are. 

Which is why Zoe taps the call button next to his name and flops back on the bed. The phone rings twice before he picks up. 

“Ello. Awful early, isn’t it?” Douxie says, voice muffled. 

“Yeah. I was just thinking that too.” 

“Nightmares?” 

“Yeah. Just stupid things.” 

“S’not stupid. Your worries and fears are valid.” 

“You sound like a prerecorded message,” Zoe laughs. 

“Shut up,” Douxie groans. “It’s too early for this.” 

“I know.” 

“I can just hear the lack of remorse in your voice.” 

“Uh huh.” 

“So?” 

“What?” 

“Want to talk about it?” 

“I don’t know. I want coffee.” 

“Doesn’t coffee make you sick?” 

“Usually.” 

“So we’re getting coffee then.” 

“Yeah. I’ll come pick you up.” 

“Fine. Have fun dragging me out of bed.” 

“Don’t worry, I know you’re too kind. You’ll be ready to go by the time I get there, I’m sure. See you in twenty.” 

She hangs up before he can protest further. She knows Douxie is just playing along. He may not be a morning person but he prefers that she wake him up about these things rather than stress about them. And how better to talk than over coffee?

Zoe ambles out of bed and gets dressed. It feels like it’s going to be a long day. 

*************

Douxie is waiting outside his bookstore when Zoe arrives, swiping through his phone. He looks up and throws her his trademark crooked smile. 

“Not getting any younger here!” She calls out to him, only having barely put the car in park. He opens the door and gets in, rolling his eyes. 

“Not getting any older, either.” 

“Fair point.” Zoe checks her mirrors before pulling back into the road as Douxie buckles. 

“Why don’t I ever get to drive?” 

Zoe glances at him, eyes shooting daggers. 

“What? I only crashed twice, in a hundred years. That’s a great track record.” Douxie crosses his arms, pouting determinedly. 

“You totaled both vehicles. And they were both mine. And when I let you drive last week you managed to park over three spots in an empty parking lot.” Zoe keeps her eyes fixed on the road. “The Walmart employees were looking at me with disbelief.” 

“Well, maybe if I got more practice I’d get better.” 

“Keep telling yourself that.” 

“I will, thank you very much. I’m quite adept at flying ships, I’ll have you know.” Douxie leans forward quickly, likely to tie his shoes, but the belt catches him and forces out a breath. He huffs, frustrated, leaning back and fighting the belt until it finally loosens. Zoe bites back a laugh. “So I’m guessing we’re headed out of town? A bit risky without the caffeine first, don’t you think?” 

“It’s fine. We’re just headed a couple towns over. Best bakery is out that way. The coffee shop I like is right next door,” she explains. 

“Alright then. I suppose it’ll be nice to see the sunrise. Usually miss it,” he comments, pointing his chin out at the opening horizon. It’s just barely begun to grow pink and orange. 

“You’d have thought after a thousand years we could handle mornings a little better.” Zoe compliments this statement with a yawn. 

“I think it just gets harder.” 

“Mm. Tell me about it. When do you have to be at work, anyways?” 

Douxie checks his bracer-turned-watch quickly. “It’s Monday. I’m on closing shift at the restaurant so it’s fine. And it’s your lucky day off, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah. One glorious day of no customers saying stupid things.” Zoe lets a smile creep over her face. 

“Uh huh. You know, I was reading up a bit, one of those really old books I’ve collected over the years, I know, I know. Anyways, I was reading about this one spell that could give you temporary wings. Wouldn’t that be fun?” Douxie is resting his head on his hand, elbow propped against the window. 

“You do have a thing for flying. Archie can be your wings, and of course your ship. No need to go trusting a tricky spell over it.” But Zoe can’t deny that the prospect is sort of interesting. She’d known these spells existed, but they were at a level higher than she or Douxie could summon the magic for, and thus ones she didn’t spend too much time focusing on. 

“I also read about one that lets you walk on water. When I get my staff, I swear, all the things I’ll do…” he trails off, elation receding to leave just uneasy contemplation.

“Don’t worry. I know you’ll get it one day. All the waiting won’t be for nothing.” Zoe holds a hand out to him, keeping the other gripping the wheel. He takes it and visibly relaxes. 

“Yeah.” Douxie stays quiet for the rest of the drive to the coffee shop, keeping his hand in hers. Zoe knows better than to press further, instead choosing to enjoy the silent company. They’d become masters at that art over the centuries. 

The sun breaks over the horizon in stunning shades of pinks and oranges and gold, enveloping the once dreary sky and quickly shifting into a pleasant day. Zoe can only catch glances at it as she drives, but she knows it’s beauty is one that she’s seen countless times before, not that she could ever tire of it. Douxie’s eyes linger on the sky even after it’s glory has faded away. 

When they arrive, Zoe leads the way into the store and up to the counter, boot heels clicking satisfyingly against the hardwood. It’s a small, family-owned shop, with a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. It’s also managed by a young witch-- that is, if you could call just over a century ‘young.’ 

“Hey, Tara. How’s business been lately?” Zoe leans against the counter, Douxie joining her. He seems oddly distracted still. 

“Well, you know. What with everyone back in school I don’t see people much nowadays. It’s nice to have you here. And I see you’ve brought a guest,” Tara says raising her eyebrows. Tara is a tall, muscular woman with dark chocolate eyes and impressive curly hair, looking like she’d walked right off a ranch. Her choice of footwear only furthered that notion, her pair of tooled leather riding boots on the floor sounding just like an old movie. 

“Yeah, got him up probably too early, by the looks.” Zoe looks up at him, catching his pained smile. “English breakfast for him and mocha java for me.” 

“A little milk with it if you don’t mind,” Douxie adds, eyes wandering to the paintings on the walls. “Please.”

“Of course. So, who are you?” Tara asks him as she turns around and preps their drinks. 

Douxie and Zoe glance around the shop, seeing it surprisingly completely empty for an early morning. Zoe sees the sign on the door is flipped to ‘closed’ now. Tara must have changed it over after they arrived for a little privacy. 

“Hisirdoux Casperan. Not that you’d know that name. I’m Merlin’s apprentice. Have been for nine hundred and fifteen very long years.” Douxie sighs, twirling a wooden stirrer on the counter. 

“I see. Been a while since any of us saw him last, huh?” 

“Yeah. He’ll be back. One of these days. And should I know you?” Douxie is clearly not interested in discussing his issues today, Zoe notes. 

“Tara. Westville. And no, you have no reason to know me. I became a witch just over a hundred years ago. I met a group of witches and wizards on the East coast just as they were leaving for the West coast when the going got rough. So I came here and figured things out ground up. Don’t really know what I’m doing with my life, honestly. Don’t have a purpose yet. We’ll see where things go.” 

Tara hands him his paper cup of tea, cap off. She pauses as she draws her hand back, letting flickers of orange flame rise in her palm. Douxie nods, unfazed. 

“Fire magic. A classic.” 

“Someone is just full of energy today,” Tara says, a little edge in her voice. Zoe cringes. 

“He’s really not a morning person, and he’s working the late shift tonight, so I can sympathize with him. We’re gonna sit outside, if that’s fine by you.” Zoe gives her an apologetic look and she nods. 

“Of course. And your drink. Just pay when you come back in, the register is being fussy.” Tara turns around, busying herself with something else. 

Zoe grabs Douxie’s sleeve and drags him after her, moving quickly through the door, placing her drink at a metal table on the sidewalk. 

“Mind telling me what’s wrong with you today?” Zoe asks, a scowl forming. She sits and shifts until she’s comfortable slumped in the chair. “That just did not seem like you back there. I'm the one who’s supposed to be having a bad day.”

“S’fine, Zo. I just had a rough night.” The more she studies him, the more he looks unusually down.

“Don’t tell me you were out chasing goblins until three A.M.” Zoe sips at her drink, flinching away as it burns her tongue. She’ll never remember to be careful enough around hot drinks.

“I wasn’t. Things are just catching up with me, I suppose.” He crosses his arms on the table and rests his chin on them, looking out at the street. He’s clearly not alright. 

“Please talk to me, Doux,” Zoe begs. 

He grumbles a sigh. “Sometimes all this feels pointless. Things have been so static for years now. How long have we been sitting here in Arcadia simply because it’s where the most trouble is, only to use a little memory altering spell every couple of years and repeat the same damn life over and over? And we still have yet to see anything actually happen. Some days spending centuries waiting really brings me down.” 

Zoe considers this. “Yeah. I can see that. It weighs me down sometimes too. That’s...actually what my dream was about.”

Douxie meets her eyes with a look that says “go on.”

“I dreamt that I felt like living on wasn’t going to matter. I was just wondering when to call it quits. But when I woke up I remembered why I stick around.” Zoe taps the back of his hand with her fingertips. 

“And why’s that?” He’s listening, but his eyes wander. He turns his hand over and clasps hers. 

“Oh, you know, friends or something.” She scoffs when his brow furrows in confusion. “You, idiot. I stick around for you and Archie. Who else would save your asses from all the trouble you get in?”

He cracks the smallest smile before burying his face in his arms. “Aw, how kind of you.” 

“Mhm.” Zoe leans back in her chair, tipping it slightly, enjoying the sun on her skin and Douxie’s company. “You’re welcome.” He squeezes her hand gently. She squeezes his back and closes her eyes. She knows to take these moments as she can get them.

**Author's Note:**

> I promise the next one is hella more complex, lol, just you wait. Hope you enjoyed this one for the time being!


End file.
